Charlotte Roofing and Construction Blog

Blog entries on this site have been posted by Earl Fremin, the president of High Top Roofing – a fully licensed and bonded roofing contractor with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list serving the Charlotte metro area including Union County with residential and commercial roofing services.

High Top Roofing’s parent company is Fremin Construction, Inc. which offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

It’s never been harder to select a contractor you can trust. In addition the industry is constantly changing due to new materials, government regulations, competitive pressure and the usual bad business practices that smart consumers need to stay out in front of.

Blog posts on this site will help keep you informed on the latest industry trends in both the roofing and construction industries.

Don’t miss out on critical information you need to be an informed customer of roofing and construction services in the Charlotte area. Visit this site often or subscribe to our RSS feeds to see the latest topics posted by Earl Fremin.

High Top Roofing brings nearly 30 years of residential roofing installation and repair service experience to the Metro Charlotte, North Carolina area.

We believe that maintaining your Charlotte residential roof is a critical part of keeping you home looking its best while maintaining its value.

When you request a free estimate from High Top Roofing, we’ll be sure to coach you on best practices for Charlotte shingle maintenance after the installation of your new roof. The following steps will add years to the life of your new roof long after we’ve finished the work.

Keep your roof clean

Clean leaves, debris, and garbage off your roof at least twice a year. Removing these objects on a regular basis will ensure that water doesn’t accumulate and lead to deterioration of the asphalt shingles.

Check for Algae and Moss

Algae and moss formations can lead to the deterioration of asphalt shingles. Algae and moss must be promptly removed and shingles should be sprayed to discourage the return of this growth in the future.

Inspect your roof for loose shingles

Over time, roof shingles can become loose. If you find loose shingles, secure them by applying a small quantity of cement to the underside of the shingles and by using nails to secure them. Damaged and missing shingles should be repaired or replaced as quickly as possible.

Keep your gutters clean

Keeping your gutters free of debris is essential to ensure that water flows properly off your roof. You should check both the gutters and the downspouts to ensure that all potential blockage is removed.

Inspect your roof for overgrown tree branches

Look for tree branches that may have grown onto the roof and might be creating unnecessary wear on your roof as the branches are blown by the wind. Any branches that are scraping your roof need to be removed.

When you hire us, you should expect that we’ll help you with the best ways to maintain your Charlotte asphalt shingle roofing.

This post was written by Earl Fremin - the president and owner of High Top Roofing and the author of the Charlotte Roofing and Construction Blog. High Top Roofing is a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. The company serves the Charlotte metro area including Union County high quality residential and commercial roofing services.

Fremin Construction, Inc. is the parent company of High Top Roofing and offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

High Top Roofing brings nearly 30 years of roofing installation and repair service experience to all of the residential and commercial roofing projects we work on in the Charlotte, North Carolina market.

When you contact High Top Roofing for your next project, you should expect straight forward advice and a customized recommendation for your home. And we’ll take the time to explain the high quality workmanship methods we use to ensure that your Charlotte residential roofing shingles are properly attached.

Shingles have a fiberglass mat and have asphalt applied to both the bottom and top of the shingle. Proper nailing techniques are essential to ensuring that the integrity of the shingle is maintained at all times in order to prevent leaks. These techniques also help prevent premature failure, blistering, and blow-offs.

Here are some of the best practices that we use to ensure that your new roofing shingles will last for many years to come.

Shingle Nails Must be the Right Length

The shingle nails must be long enough to ensure that they penetrate the roof deck by a minimum of ¾ of an inch.

Shingle Nails Must be Driven in Straight

It sounds like Roofing 101 doesn’t it? Yet you would be surprised at how often we find roofing leaks that have been caused because the nails were driving in at an angle. Nails that are driven in at an angle tear the fiberglass mat and compromise the integrity of the shingle. Whenever we discover shingles installed this way, we have to replace them with new ones.

The Right Quantity of Nails per Shingle Should be Used

As a general rule four nails per shingle are required. However, in high-wind zones, six nails per shingle may be required.

Nails Must be Placed in the Proper Location on the Shingle

The type of roofing shingle used will determine both the precise location for the nails. When nails are not placed in the proper location, it’s possible that the bottom ply can come unglued and fall off the roof leading to roof leaks. When nails are not properly located, the shingles can also become loose leading to leaks as well.

Nails Must be Driven in to the Proper Depth into the Shingle

It is not uncommon for us to find residential roofs in Charlotte that have nails that have been driven in too deep into the shingle. This can typically happen with inexperienced roofing crews who just hammer in the nail too deep or if the compressor pressure is set to high on a pneumatic hand gun. Regardless of how it happens the fiberglass mat of the shingle is torn and the shingle needs to be replaced.

We’ll take the time to explain how each of the above best practices for nailing shingles to your Charlotte residential roof will produce the best long term result for you.

Earl Fremin is the author of this post. He is the president and owner of High Top Roofing and the author of the Charlotte Roofing and Construction Blog. High Top Roofing is a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. We offer the highest quality residential and commercial roofing services to the Charlotte metro area including Union County.

The parent company of High Top Roofing is Fremin Construction, Inc. . The company offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

High Top Roofing brings nearly 30 years of installation and repair service experience to the problems associated with Charlotte residential roofing leaks.

One question we’re asked often by our customers is “why after so many years without any issues, did our home begin to experience Charlotte residential roofing leaks?” This is a common question we receive typically during the winter when accumulated snow and ice begin to melt and leaking occurs.

When you contact High Top Roofing for your next roofing project, you should expect that we’ll have an answer to this question and provide you with a custom game plan to address the residential roofing leaks you may be experiencing.

The most common areas where unexpected Charlotte residential roofing leaks occur are valleys, flashings, eaves and areas with low sloping roofs. These areas tend to accumulate water, ice, and snow buildup. Standard shingles in these areas are not enough to prevent leaks in these areas and additional protection is usually required. Valleys in particular are a prime area that is subject to leaks.

One solution that has provided outstanding results to our customers has been to use an underlayment material such as Owens Corning’s WeatherLock Ice and Water Barrier product.

We’ll assess the areas on your roof that are the most likely areas where roofing leaks typically occur and we’ll recommend that an underlayment product such as WinterGuard be installed underneath the new shingles on your roof.

This underlayment material will give you added protection for the areas on your roof that are most susceptible to nasty build-ups of ice and snow that can cause trapped water to seep through your roof causing damage to both your roof deck, insulation, and the interior of your home.

While it is not cost effective to install this type of product everywhere on your roof, we’ll recommend that it be installed in the areas that are most susceptible to water pooling and intrusion.

When you contact us, you should expect that we’ll take the time to recommend a custom roofing solution for your home – one that may blend a combination of traditional roofing shingles along with underlayment materials to give you the best long term protection.

This post was contributed by Earl Fremin - the president and owner of High Top Roofing and the author of the Charlotte Roofing and Construction Blog. We are a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. We serve the Charlotte metro area including Union County high quality residential and commercial roofing services.

Fremin Construction, Inc. is the parent company of High Top Roofing and offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

Call High Top Roofing at 704-989-3189 or get your free estimate today!

High Top Roofing brings nearly 30 years of roofing installation and repair service experience to the Charlotte metro area.

You might be surprised at what we encounter on a daily basis as we follow in the footsteps of other Charlotte roofing companies as we continue to deliver outstanding residential roofing projects on some of the most expensive homes in the area.

When you contact High Top Roofing for your next roofing project, you can be assured that we’ll be recommending the best ways to avoid these commonly observed residential roofing issues.

Shingles That are Not Gauged Properly

Nothing is more important than good workmanship when it comes to installing and spacing shingles. However, it is not uncommon for us to find homes where the shingles are not gauged properly resulting in shingle seams that are too close together. This can lead to unexpected leaks. It’s also important to make sure that no more than 5 ½ inches of each shingle is exposed. If a larger area of each shingle is exposed, it is more prone to leaks.

Improper Shingle NailingYou’d be surprised at how often we run into shingles with nails that are driven in at an angle or nails that have been driven in too far.

Improperly nailed shingles causes tears to the fiberglass mat and compromises the integrity of the shingle. That’s why shingles that have been installed in this manner need to be removed.

There are a number of areas on a roof that can be subject to water, ice, and snow buildup that need additional protection beyond standard shingles. Areas with valleys, flashing, eaves, and low sloping roofs are often susceptible to leaks especially during the winter. High quality Charlotte roofing companies will take the time and explain to you the best ways to protect these highly vulnerable areas.

Charlotte roof shingles are not intended for use as a waterproof roof layer. Shingles are designed to work with gravity to keep water moving down the roof. If a section of your roof isn’t steep enough to keep the water moving, shingles should not be used. And yet we continue to observe roof sections where shingles have been used instead of alternative methods that are better able to prevent water seepage.

Safety Corners Cut by Budget Roofers

We’ve seen many instances where out of town, storm chaser roofing companies have used toe boards to create a walkway that the roofing crews use during the installation process. Toe boards are a cost cutting measure designed to give budget roofers the ability to avoid using proper safety equipment such as safety ropes, harnesses, and L-brackets.

While these toe boards may give your budget roofer a cheaper alternative to a safer roofing project, this practice is costing you money. Why? Because the toe boards create nail holes in freshly installed shingles – holes that don’t need to be there. And when the roofing project is finished, the nails holding the toe boards to your roof are pulled out. This leaves you with nail holes that can cause leaks long after your budget roofer has left town. We see and repair the holes left by this practice just about every week.

These are just some of the poor Charlotte residential roofing work that we’ve encountered and this is just a sampling of poor quality roofing work we’ve run into on homes with complicated roof designs in Charlotte, North Carolina.

High Top Roofing is a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. High Top Roofing offers the Charlotte metro area including Union County high quality residential and commercial roofing services.

Fremin Construction, Inc. is the parent company of High Top Roofing. Fremin Construction offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

Always pick a highly rated company - when you select Fremin Construction you’ll get the benefit of company that has an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau along with an “A” rating from Angie’s List.

Insist on a using a licensed, bonded contactor - Fremin Construction carries $2 million in general liability insurance to ensure that your residential or commercial construction project is properly protected.

Find out whether the Charlotte Construction Company you are considering is planning on using subcontractors and the areas of your project that they’ll be working on - Every subcontractor allowed to work on your project may be an area that could lead to inconsistencies and defects. When you use Fremin Construction, you’ll get the benefit of our direct hire workforce with very limited use of subcontractors.

Ask the company to tell you the types of projects they have the most experience with to ensure the best results for your home or business - At Fremin Construction, we specialize in residential and commercial renovation and remodeling projects.

Look for a local Charlotte Construction Company - Fremin Construction is a local business offering personalized service, lower overhead and the best workmanship and manufacturer warranties in the business.

Following the tips above will save you a lot of headaches – we know, because we’ve been helping our customers make the right choice for over 27 years!

Earl Fremin - the president of Fremin Construction contributed this post and regularly comments on industry trends on the High Top Roofing Blog including a recent post in Charlotte Residential Roofing about the benefits of gun nailing instead of hand nailing shingles. Fremin Construction is a fully licensed and bonded construction company that offers you an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. The company serves the Charlotte metro area including Union County with residential and commercial construction services.

High Top Roofing is a subsidiary of Fremin Construction, Inc. that offers residential and commercial roofing services in the Charlotte metro area.

When you interview Charlotte residential roofing companies, there is probably no other topic that generates more discussion and passion among roofers than the question of whether shingles should be hand nailed or installed using a pneumatic nail gun.

While we can install your roof using either method, we strongly recommend using a pneumatic nail gun to install your roof for a wide range of reasons.

For starters, Charlotte residential roofing projects do not require an inspection when completed. So you are highly dependent on selecting the right contractor to nail your roofing shingles down correctly the first time. If it is not nailed down correctly, you may never find out until you have an issue in the future.

Shingles on Charlotte residential roofing projects are nailed down by a crew of workers. If you are using High Top Roofing, that work will be done by a direct hire team that has been installing roofs for years with years of experience to make sure all of your nails are installed correctly the first time. Other contractors may use subcontractors for this work which can lead to inconsistent and defective nailing.

The quality of your roof installation is only as good as the weakest link on your team. That includes both the skill of the installation crew as well as using a consistent way to nail down the shingles.

That’s why we strongly recommend that your roof be nailed down using a pneumatic nail gun and not hand nailed. A nail gun will offer you a consistent, steady way of installing your roofing nails quickly and consistently. As many have said, “a nail gun does not get tired at the end of the day”. A nail installed using a gun at the end of the day is as good as the first nail installed in the morning. That’s something you might not get on a consistent basis from a crew doing hand nailing over the course of a long day. It only takes one inexperienced, tired worker to make hand nailing mistakes that you might not see. These mistakes could lead to leaks in the future.

Gun nailing is also more effective in more difficult and hard to reach steep areas. A roofing installer who can’t safely reach an area may cut corners. Many times the nail gun provides the installer with the easiest way to reach these difficult areas and to nail them down in a consistent way every time without putting the worker in a dangerous position.

Last but not least, High Top Roofing installs extra nails on your roof that you won’t get from a hand nailed installation. The speed and efficiency of the gun gives us extra time and flexibility to install these extra nails. A gun installation ensures you won’t get shorted on nails.

We’ll let you decide how you want your roof installed, but expect us to tell you that gun nailing will give you a quicker, consistent, more professional installation with less room for error.

This post was contributed by Earl Fremin - the president of High Top Roofing – a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. The company serves the Charlotte metro area including Union County with residential and commercial roofing services.